I'm in alignment with Susan's philosophy. I use the starter to create a levain, perhaps every third day. Unlike a professional that goes levain -> levain my process is more of a starter -> starter -> levain + starter (repeat). I too am throwing that starter into the compost when not making a levain. Arrived here looking for the right levain for pastries. Basically, how does the baker drive the microbiology of the levain towards a sweet and fruity flavor suitable for pastries such as croissants and kouign amann? A little sidetrack and I arrived at the quest for sourdough library which I think provides my answer.

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